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⛓️ What Is a Blockchain (and What It Means for Allfeat)

Introduction

To understand how Allfeat works — and especially how metadata behaves over time — you need to understand what a blockchain really is.

Many misunderstandings come from thinking that data on a blockchain is either:

  • permanently frozen and can never change, or
  • completely editable like a regular database.

The truth is: it’s neither.
Let’s clarify.

📦 A Blockchain Is a History of Blocks

A blockchain is a continuously growing list of blocks, each containing:

  • A batch of validated transactions
  • A reference to the previous block (via a cryptographic hash)
  • A timestamp and other metadata

Together, blocks form a linked, immutable chain — meaning:

  • You can always read the full history
  • You cannot modify blocks that are already finalized
  • The state of the system is reconstructed by replaying all blocks in order

This applies to Allfeat too.

🧠 What Gets Stored in Allfeat's Blocks?

In Allfeat, every action on metadata is a transaction:

  • Submitting a new MIDDS
  • Certifying a MIDDS
  • Marking it as ready for review
  • Proposing an edit
  • Linking two MIDDS together

Each of these actions is written into a block.
The result is a verifiable timeline of who did what, when, and how.

🔄 Can MIDDS Change Over Time?

Yes — but not by modifying the past.

Here’s how it works:

❌ You cannot edit a block.
✅ But you can submit a new transaction that modifies the state.

That means:

  • If you submitted a MIDDS and later realize you forgot a detail, you can propose an update
  • If the update is accepted and validated, it becomes part of a new block
  • The new state replaces the previous one — but the history is preserved forever

This is called append-only logic:
You don’t delete or overwrite, you add new instructions.

🛡️ What Does "Immutable" Really Mean?

"Immutable" does not mean “frozen forever.”
It means that the history of actions cannot be altered.

In Allfeat, this brings real benefits:

  • 🕵️ Auditable: Anyone can track how a MIDDS was created, updated, or certified
  • 🧾 Traceable: Conflicts or fraud can be detected by comparing past actions
  • 🔗 Dependable: Apps, organizations, and people can rely on a single public source of truth

Even when a MIDDS evolves, its historical path remains visible and provable.

🔗 How MIDDS Evolve

Here’s a simple example of how a MIDDS lifecycle might look on-chain:

  1. 🎶 Block #421: A Musical Work is submitted
  2. ✅ Block #426: The work is certified by Trusters
  3. ✏️ Block #490: A correction is submitted (wrong BPM)
  4. 📌 Block #491: The correction is approved and the state is updated

At any point, someone can query:

  • The current version of the MIDDS
  • The full change history (who submitted what and when)

This gives Allfeat both durability and flexibility — a powerful combination that traditional metadata systems often lack.

✅ In Summary

  • A blockchain is a permanent record of events, not a database you “edit”
  • Allfeat stores metadata changes as events across time
  • A MIDDS can evolve — but always through new transactions, never by modifying the past
  • This ensures a balance of immutability, transparency, and data evolution

📘 See Also